By Jamie Martin
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have engineered a new wheat variety that supports natural nitrogen fixation in the soil. This scientifically advanced variety offers farmers a way to reduce fertilizer use while improving crop performance. The findings appear in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
The project was led by Professor Eduardo Blumwald, who used CRISPR technology to modify the plant’s production of apigenin, a naturally occurring flavone. In the improved wheat, plants create more apigenin than they need. The extra amount is released into the soil, where it helps nitrogen-fixing bacteria form biofilms. These biofilms protect nitrogenase, the enzyme that converts nitrogen from the air into a usable nutrient for plants.
Most cereal crops, including wheat, cannot normally fix nitrogen because they do not form specialized root nodules. Instead of forcing the plant to form nodules, the researchers found a new way to support the bacteria already living in the soil. This method allows the plant to access natural nitrogen without major structural changes.
In experiments with low fertilizer levels, the modified wheat produced higher yields compared to regular varieties. This discovery could be especially important for farmers in regions where fertilizer is expensive or not easily available.
“In Africa, people don’t use fertilizers because they don’t have money, and farms are small, not larger than six to eight acres,” said Blumwald. “Imagine, you are planting crops that stimulate bacteria in the soil to create the fertilizer that the crops need, naturally. Wow! That’s a big difference!”
The worldwide impact could be large. Wheat accounts for about 18% of global nitrogen fertilizer use. Farmers in the United States alone spent nearly $36 billion on fertilizers in 2023. A small reduction in fertilizer use, even around 10%, could save more than a billion dollars each year.
This breakthrough builds on similar success in rice and suggests that natural nitrogen-supporting techniques may soon reach other major cereal crops. It represents a major step toward sustainable farming and long-term food security.
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